Sunday, December 28, 2014

I haven't posted in over a month, not since the announcement came out about finding the Joan Anderson letter. Since then, of course, the legal wrangling has begun in earnest.

As expected, ad nauseum, ad infinitum.

Enough about that.

I seem to remember opining about having little left to say about Kerouac given my 1,100+ posts on the subject since 2008, and given that nothing I can possibly say hasn't already been said by someone, and given that anything "newsy" about Kerouac makes it to the Jack Kerouac Facebook page before I have a chance to post about it.

Not to mention that I am a dilettante where Kerouac is concerned. I have positioned myself at times as someone who knows a lot about the subject, but compared to the likes of Dave Moore, Gerry Nicosia, Paul Maher, Kurt Phaneuf, and others I have met in my Kerouacian travels, I am a supreme lightweight (at best).

Nothing, however, can take away from my absolute love affair with the man's words, and you can bet I will continue to read them and make pilgrimages to Lowell and stay abreast of the news (even when it's estate-related - ach!).

Speaking of which, the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac group just got a $10,000 donation from Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay (owner of the roll, scroll, whatever). That is very cool and it's always good to see dedication and perseverance to a great cause rewarded (he should have given them $100,000, but that is just my opinion).

Next, Mr. Irsay needs to fund Cat De Leon's traveling Kerouac exhibit. Check her out on Facebook here. That's her work at the top of this post. If you get a chance to see her exhibit, take it. I did not do so when I was in Lowell, and it's to my great regret.

But I ramble....

Here's hoping you had a great Christmas (or whatever you call the holiday - in the Kerouac world we defer to his Catholicism and call it Christmas, and if you don't like that, get off the airplane). Have a safe and Happy New Year (probably offended someone there, too) and don't do anything Jack wouldn't do!

Jack Kerouac

About the Author

Rick Dale is a Jack Kerouac enthusiast who lives with his partner, Crystal, and Karma the cat in the capital city of Maine. The Beat Handbook, available below, is his first book. His second and subsequent books reside in his brain for the time being....

Buy The Beat Handbook

Reviews of The Beat Handbook

Gerald Nicosia, author of the acclaimed Kerouac biography Memory Babe, said The Beat Handbook is "full of Jack's heart."

Jared Randall, author of the excellent book of poetry, Apocryphal Road Code, said this about The Beat Handbook: "Sometimes a book comes along at just the right time. In my wandering pack of experiences, I find they often do. Enter The Beat Handbook by Rick Dale."

Kenneth Morris, Kerouacian extraordinaire, said this:"I just finished reading Rick Dale's beautiful utterance and call to action of Kerouac mind-set and zen sensibilities. It made me laugh and reflect on my own life and road I have naturally grooved into after absorbing the Kerouac canon. The road less traveled always had my name on it. And that has made all the difference. The Beat Handbook 100 Days of Kerouactions reaffirms the attitudes and ideology that made the Beats and Kerouac the important men of ideas that America (and the world) thirsted for, needed, and swallowed whole. Beautiful, absorbing, Top Ten whipsmart from my articulate, tender-hearted friend and fellow traveler. Highly recommended."